Who stood out during the Patriots’ practice on Monday, for better or worse.
After putting the ramp-up period behind them, the New England Patriots held their first training camp practice in full pads on Monday. The 90-minute session focused heavily on the running game.
You can recap the action here. And as always, here is out list of standout performers from today’s session.
Standout of the day
ED K’Lavon Chaisson: Their focus on the ground game resulted in limited pass rush opportunities for K’Lavon Chaisson, but the first-year Patriot still managed to stand out as the most disruptive defender on the field. In total, he finished with two would-be sacks in team drills while also proving himself a handful for whoever the team used at right tackle; Morgan Moses and Demontrey Jacobs had their issues with his burst off the edge, as did rookie Marcus Bryant in a 1-on-1.
Chaisson was not perfect on the day, and at one point was sealed off by rookie Will Campbell. However, he remains on a clear upwards trajectory and currently stands as the No. 3 edge on the roster behind Keion White and Harold Landry.
Other performances of note
WR Ja’Lynn Polk: The mere fact that the 2024 second-round draft pick returned to the field on Monday was a positive, but Polk also managed to make his presence felt beyond, well, being present. One of the eight wide receivers to see snaps with starting quarterback Drake Maye, he hauled in a touchdown in a red zone drill. Polk ran a corner route and Maye hit him off a well-executed play-action fake.
OT Will Campbell: Getting his first real taste of NFL physicality, first-round rookie Will Campbell stood his own. Even though he lost his first 1-on-1 rep against Keion White and later also ended on the ground against the third-year edge, he showed himself worthy of starting left tackle status throughout the session. Campbell showed his power, movement skills and finishing ability on a regular basis, and sealed off White to give Drake Maye time on his touchdown to Ja’Lynn Polk.
DT Milton Williams: The Patriots’ high-prized free agency addition had an up-and-down day. While he did manage to walk Cole Strange back during a 1-on-1 blocking drill, he also was beaten by the former first-round draft pick on another occasion. Williams also had some issues with Will Campbell in live action. The rookie cleared him out on two left-side runs, including a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown.
K Parker Romo: In a surprising change from the first week of practice, the Patriots gave rookie Andres Borregales no kicking reps. Instead, they all went to quasi-incumbent Parker Romo, who spent the tail-end of the 2024 season on the practice squad. Romo made all six of his attempts, splitting the uprights from between 32 and 50 yards out. Even though it did not look like it coming out of the spring, we might just have a serious competition on our hands.
Among the other players worth mentioning is the aforementioned Cole Strange, who helped generate some good push on the left side in team drills. Jared Wilson, who subbed in for him and veteran center Garrett Bradbury, looked solid but also had another botched exchange with Drake Maye under center. Sidy Sow might have had the best 1-on-1 rep of the day, dominating rookie defensive tackle Joshua Farmer, while Stefon Diggs moved well in his first full-pads practice in nine months.
The Patriots will return to the practice fields on Tuesday for what will be their sixth session of the summer. Doors will open at 9:15 a.m. ET, with practice set to kickoff exactly an hour later.